1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to carriers and, particularly, to a stack mold carrier functioning to support a stack mold.
2. Description of Related Art
Stack molds are different from traditional single plate molds. Stack molds first appeared in the packing industry, but with the development of scientific technologies, the stack mold has become widely used in various fields. Nowadays, stack molds can be used to mold articles of many different sizes, including large articles.
An example of a related stack mold system has tie bars that pass through the mold plates, thereby supporting them directly. Removing the molds from the machine requires the tie bars to be withdrawn. This is a time consuming process that requires additional space behind the molding machine's clamp to accommodate the tie bars in their withdrawn positions.
Early stack mold carriers were attachments to the mold center section that supported it in the molding machine and allowed the center section to slide along the machine's tie bars. Removal of the mold also required removal of the carriers, as they were not attached to the machine. This was an added complication, adding to the time needed to change the mold. Thus, mold carriers to which a stack mold can be quickly attached and yet remain safely installed in the machine when the stack mold is removed were developed. The mold carrier itself can be easily removed from the machine if required. However, the mold carrier cannot support a large stack mold because screws or any other elements are used to support the large stack that cannot carry heavy weight.
What is needed, therefore, is a stack mold carrier that overcomes the above-mentioned shortcomings.